Children of the Stars
WIP Fanfiction I'm developing about the Nightwings. Prologue In Nightcolt's experience, the Nightwings had always been hated. No matter where he went, those thoughts filled his head. Spies. Evil. Killers. Doesn't understand what privacy is. Cruel. These were the thoughts that echoed everywhere, flowing into his mind but never going back out. They stuck to him, like thorns embedded in his scales. Even when he was with his tribe, there was always that underlying feeling of hatred, just barely hidden by a fake sort of pride. The pride had been programmed in, almost from birth, as they were taught that even though everyone else thought they were worthless, they weren't. ''Once, they had played large roles in wars and plots and even the saving of Pyrrhia. So even when the rest of the world turned their back, the Nightwings had their pride in themselves that kept them together and under the Queen's rule. The hatred wasn't openly taught, but it was impressed upon the minds of young dragonets. Everywhere they went, they noticed the angry expressions, the arched backs, lashing tails. The more unfortunate, the mindreaders, could hear the thoughts whispered around them, about how the other tribes hated them and their powers, and how they should have run away long ago, and how much they just wanted it all to end. But the Nightwings kept their head high, their eyes flashing, their wings tipped back. They disguised these feelings as best they could while isolating themselves from the rest of the world. They were isolated anyway, wherever they went. The Icewings were openly murderous, the Skywings let disdain show through their smiles. The Rainwings liked watching the dark dragons skirt away as they opened their mouths, revealing long, dangerous fangs. The Sandwings shouldered past the Nightwings, not even seeing them. The Mudwings were only a little better, without as much hostility, even a little interest. The Seawings were the worst. They broadcasted their mistrust in the most public way possible: The wearing of skyfire, which they mined from deep below the surface and kept from any other dragons. Nightcolt didn't know what they thought of him, but he did know that they were almost as hated as he was, for their elitism and cockiness. Sometimes Nightcolt listened to other dragons fantasize about stealing skyfire from the Seawings, using it to protect themselves. Once he even heard a fellow Nightwing wish for it. Although he understood, it shocked him as he listened to the dragon think about wearing it to prove to the other dragons that he wasn't spying on them. NightColt knew that would never work. The fear ran too deep. He wished for simpler times, long before he hatched, when the Nightwings were revered and sought after. They could solve your problems. Help you. Use their powers of prophecy to protect you. He had read the scrolls. Once, the Nightwings had had palaces, sprawling cities, jewels and riches. Once they had been beautiful, like the stars they all loved watching so much. Lyra Nightcolt, commonly referred to as Colt, was a slim Nightwing with darker-than-shadow scales and wings that glimmered silver. There were little scars and marks scattered around his body, and he was slightly underfed. In other words, he looked exactly like every other Nightwing in their kingdom. There were only a few differences. For one, he was slightly less muscled than many of them. He also had the silvery markings by his eyes that signified that he could read minds. He wore a piece of jewelry on his arm, like a serpent twining around his scales, with emerald eyes and a silver-and-gold body. He stood like the Nightwings, acted like the Nightwings, lived like the Nightwings. He didn't think like the Nightwings, though. His pattern of thought more often became wistful and imaginative, dwelling on the past. He lived in the mountain with the rest of his tribe. The location wasn't a secret, between the Skywing Kingdom and the desert. It was large and riddled with caves, and every single Nightwing had rooms there, every single Nightwing lived there for most or all of their life. He considered himself fortunate to have a cave with windows looking out, although depending on who you asked, that was either good or bad. The Royal Quarters, Throne Room, Treasury, and dragonet caves were all near the center of the mountain because that was the safest. But he liked looking outside, and letting the moons cast their light on the walls. So for him, the danger wasn't as important. Every day, he rose just before dawn and ventured to the inner caves. Since light didn't reach down there, there were always dragons out and about. They simply didn't ''have a set sleeping time. Bioluminescent plants gave the passages and rooms a sleepy, bluish-greenish glow. Colt's eyes quickly accustomed to the darkness as he ventured farther down, making his way toward a specific cave. Princess Lyra was a beautiful dragon who still had unmarked scales. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at things; she was one of the few that hadn't lost her happiness. Colt supposed that happened when you were royalty and in line to the throne. As were all noble Nightwings, she had been born under a moon. Colt knew that the royals timed everything so there never was an ungifted princess or prince. However, for some reason or another, there had been a brief eclipse just when she had been supposed to hatch. For that reason, her powers, although still there, were not as strong as her siblings'. "Colt?" She called as he came within range, just a few caves down. He smiled as her shining eyes peered around the corner. He flapped his wings, extending them slightly to coast down the passage to meet her. "Lyra! You look absolutely beautiful today." As Always. She grinned. "You're thinking something kind, Colt. I can tell by the way your thoughts started spiraling." Yes, Lyra could read minds, but not the way most other dragons could. Instead of hearing thoughts, she could see them as strands, floating in the air. They told her, depending on several factors, what the dragon was feeling, although she didn't know exactly what they were thinking. She had told Colt that his thoughts varied between blue and bright, happy yellow. "Are they yellow now?" He asked, and she nodded. "They always are when you see me. I've only seen them blue a few times." "I'm sorry," He said, paused, and explained, "you make me happy." She laughed, and gestured for him to come in. Her rooms were large and spacious. She slept on a ledge by the wall with a soft, warm blanket. This was unusual for Nightwings, as well, since the fire inside kept them warm. He suspected she used it because it comforted her. There were several tapestries on the walls depicting happier days of sunshine and fresh air. In several Nightwings ruled peacefully, surrounded by gold. She could tell him exactly what was happening in each tapestry. In one, there was a Seawing near the Nightwings, which showed that they once were allies, if not friends. There were several with Sandwings that told her that the Nightwings had once been as wealthy as the desert dragons, and perhaps shared their wealth. Plants covered the ceiling, arranged to resemble green glowing stars. Three large pots by the wall were the moons. She went right to the spring in the corner to show him something new. A little minnow swam lazily around in the bubbles. Colt bent down to the water to see it more clearly. "Where did this come from?" "I woke up and it was just there. The same place the water does, I suppose?" "It won't survive very long," he pointed out. "There's no food for it to eat." "Oh." Should I just kill it now? ''She thought, running over several solutions in her mind. "You're right." She shrugged and left the cave, brushing a tapestry with her talon on the way. As they walked down the passage, she spoke. "Divinity's dragonet hatched. She's quite possibly the prettiest dragonet I have ever seen. Her scales aren't as dark as usual, and her thoughts aren't as abstract as some of the other dragonets." "What does that mean?" She shrugged. "She was hatched under a full moon and a half, but we don't know what powers she has yet." "Should be both, shouldn't it?" "There haven't been any hints of mindreading yet. Would you like to see her?" "I've never been in the Royal Hatchery." She adjusted her wings. "It'll be fine. Maybe you can help." Hatchery The Royal Hatchery was near enough to the regular one that caretakers could access it easily, but far enough away that it was still protected. Four guards lined the hall, watching with alert eyes, their bodies tense. The last guard that had failed had been given the choice of exile or death. He chose death. They did not stop them, although Nightcolt noticed them sizing him up. He wasn't very much of a threat, and he was a loyal Nightwing accompanying Princess Lyra. He didn't expect to be stopped, but still had to ignore the urge to walk a little faster. The hatchery was much different from the rest of the mountain. While everywhere else was dark and filled with dragons, this place was lavish and carefully thought out, as well as quiet. The ceiling was completely covered in plants that lit it up brightly. The marble floor was dark, and contrasted with the silvery-white walls. There were several nests, in two of which eggs sat. Like all Nightwing eggs, they were black, but, when exposed to the moonlight, would turn silver. Lyra guided Colt through the hatchery and to the next cave. It was completely dragonet-proof, with rounded corners and safe toys. Four dragonets of varying ages played, watched over by two caretakers. He could pick out Princess Divinity's daughter by the way she methodically placed bricks down to play with, although she was still too young for him to hear her thoughts. She ''was beautiful, and she stood out from the three other dragonets, her scales just a shade lighter than normal. She looked up when they came in, but so did the other dragonets, so that didn't tell them if she could hear their thoughts or not. The oldest dragonet in the room happily approached. "Lyra!" She gazed up at them with clear, bright eyes. "Hi, Colt." He wasn't startled. He had known since they arrived that this dragonet possessed the same power as himself. "Hello, Princess Whisperthought," he replied, plucking her name from Lyra's mind. "You want Bringer," she observed, then turned to shout at the dragonet. "Bringer! Colt wants you!" The dragonet looked up, confused, and Lyra laughed. "Lightbringer can't really understand you yet, Whisper." She nudged Colt's wingtip and went to the little dragonet. "Hello, Lightbringer," she said softly, picking her up. She glanced at the blocks, and then looked back at them. "Play?" "This is Colt," she said, passing her to his talons. He looked into her eyes, trying to hear something... anything. There was an echo of Lyra's words that she was thinking about, and her initial question. Play? "Lightbringer," he said. "What a beautiful name for a beautiful dragonet." Colt smiled and put her back on the floor. "As far as I can tell, there isn't any development yet." "Well. That's too bad. I just thought, maybe you would be able to hear something." He laughed. "Me, find something a princess couldn't? Lyra, what are you saying?" She laughed back and they walked through the nursery and hatchery to the hallway. She nodded to the guards, and as soon as they were far enough away, he asked his question. "What color are her thoughts?" "Emerald green." I don't know what that means, ''was what she didn't say, but he heard her anyway. New Task The rest of that month passed uneventfully. Colt spent his days with Lyra, watching out for her. They often visited the nursery to check up on Lightbringer, but as she grew older, not much changed. Princess Whisperthought moved out of the nursery, and the two newest dragonets came in, both with the powers of prophecy. Sometimes Colt and Lyra would venture into the sunlight to go hunting, on sharp lookout for enemies. At other times they'd assist others in common chores around the mountain. Lyra seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she was slowly introducing him to the royal family. Sometimes he'd run into her siblings in the hall, and he would hear them identify him as her friend in their minds. They would nod to each other and go on their way. But everything changed when he met Princess Divinity. Nightcolt was on his way to see Lyra when he spotted her. The firstborn of Queen Starfire, Divinity carried herself with confidence and natural beauty. Significantly more healthy than many of the other Nightwings, she radiated comfort and safety. She was an expert at shielding her thoughts, but Colt noticed that when she was relaxing she let her guard drop. ''Nightcolt, he heard her think, and then a large, spiked wall went up around her mind. "Your Highness," he said, bowing respectfully, flaring his wings and crossing his talons. "Nightcolt. You are Lyra's friend." "Yes, Princess." She glanced back down the hallway. "I don't think she can see or hear us, but... come this way." She led the way to an empty cave. These types of unused rooms were rare elsewhere, but in the Royal section were common. Once there, she studied him for a moment before speaking. The light was dim, but her green eyes reflected the plants' glow. "You have been shirking your hunting duties." Divinity's mate, Prince Stonefall, was the one who assigned hunting. Colt winced and inclined his head. "So I have a new task for you. You are a little on the weaker side, but with training you will undoubtedly improve." "Princess Divinity?" "I want you to guard Lyra. You're with her all the time, anyway. Just don't let your thoughts betray you. They shoudn't, since she's... so much more different, but still. Do you understand?" "Yes." "Very well. You are dismissed." And with those words that weren't important to her but very, very much so to him, she swept out and off to her business. Colt blinked. He had never expected... this wouldn't change much, but still. Guarding his best friend? Could he do that without letting her know? It felt... wrong, somehow. Like betraying her trust. He just had to hope he wouldn't ever be in a position where he would have to do anything. Seafoam Prince Stonefall hurried down the corridor, holding Lightbringer gently in his talons. He had to find Divinity, or... or something terrible could happen. He was worried. Agitated. And when he was agitated, it became all the easier for other dragons to hear his thoughts. Up ahead, there was that dragon. Nightcolt. Lyra's friend. He was blocking the corridor like a fumbling Sandwing. "Nightcolt," he demanded, "have you seen Divinity?" The dragon's head filled with all sorts of useless information, as well as a bit of Lyra and Divinity. Down the hall, I think. "I was just speaking to her, your Highness-" "That will be enough, thank you," he said, pushing past him. This was one of those times when having the gift of mindreading helped; it certainly quickened matters. Stonefall heard Divinity before he saw her. Her thoughts were blocked off, but he knew her well enough that he could recognize her. She was in their cave, arranging the plants. "Divinity," he breathed as he came in, and she turned. Every other time he saw his love, Stonefall's heart stopped. But not now. He was too frightened for that. "Have you had any visions lately?" Her puzzled expression told him everything he needed to know, and he quickly handed Lightbringer to her. As soon as she touched the little dragonet, her expression changed and her mental walls strengthened as she was seized with something. A vision, a premonition, a prophecy? Who knew. A moment later, her green eyes opened to stare at him. She wasn't even trying to hide her fear. "Stone-" "No one else knows. But they will, if we aren't careful." "Our daughter-" "Not our daughter," he whispered, coming to stand closer to her. "Seafoam's daughter." Seafoam. She and Goldtalon had made many mistakes before their deaths. And one was meeting. Goldtalon was Stonefall's brother, and lacked any powers or unusual abilities. He was the boringest prince Stonefall had ever seen, and everyone thought so. The only thing he was good at was shielding his thoughts. He was phenomenal at it. And then, randomly one day, Goldtalon came to Stonefall and confessed everything. He had been seeing a Seawing. And not just any Seawing. A Seawing princess, Seafoam. They had met when Goldtalon was sent on a peace mission to the Seawings, which had turned out horribly, although the two kingdoms weren't at war. Yet. They would be if they knew what had happened. Somehow his idiot brother and Seafoam had fallen in love, and Seafoam had laid an egg. She knew, apparently the moment she saw it, that this was a Nightwing egg. And so she threw her skyfire away and told Goldtalon everything, entrusting the egg to his care. Then rumor had it that she died. Not just died; that she was poisoned. A few days later, Goldtalon dove off a cliff to meet his death. Only a few hours earlier he had told Stonefall everything and had given him the egg. Sometimes Stonefall wondered if he could have saved his brother. But that didn't matter now, nor even then. Together, he and Divinity had hatched a plan, telling the Nightwings that she had laid the egg while hunting in the mountains. They could only hope the dragonet inside would turn out to be normal-looking. "How could this happen?" Divinity asked him, looking down at their daughter, who could only understand a little of what her adoptive parents were saying. "Ma?" She asked, snuggling closer. "What did you see?" Stonetalon asked, heart thumping wildly. "If they find out--war. And, and terror. My mother will use her. Either that or kill her." "What can we do? Take her out of the nursery?" "No. That will make other dragons suspicious. But every moment we can, bring her everywhere with us. We must keep her away from other dragons. Teach her to shield her thoughts. It's the only chance we have." Trip Outside Nightcolt was amazed to find that shielding his thoughts from Lyra was much easier than he had expected. He simply had to think of something else, like the way her eyes danced, and the patterns on her wings, and the beauty of her thoughts. She was the only dragon he knew that didn't have any hatred. Life went back to normal, and he was relieved that he no longer had to go hunting, because, truth be told, he much preferred staying in the mountain. A week or so later, Divinity sent a dragon to inform him that his cave had been moved closer to the Royal Wing. He was shocked but pleased. For a long time, he never left the mountain. ... "Let's go outside, Colt!" Lyra said brightly. She was aching to get out of the mountain, and dragged him along with her. The air was fresh and birds sang obnoxiously in the trees. The sun was just rising, and dew from the ground soaked into Nightcolt's scales. He hated it. He attempted to cover his head with his wings, but Lyra just whacked him with her tail and soared up to the clouds. Grudgingly, he followed her. "Isn't this amazing, Colt?" "Of course, Lyra," he said, trying to sound happy. "Your thoughts are grey," she said quietly, "but you're here. That's all that matters." Without letting him reply, she twisted in the air and went off flying somewhere else. He followed the sound of her jubilant thinking, chasing her around trees and large boulders. All at once, a wave of fear slammed through her, her thoughts shocked. Colt's heart dropped into his tail and he rounded the bend. The first thing he saw was dazzling red. Slowly, the colors separated into dragons. Skywings. Everywhere. And, in the center of the group, Lyra. Taunt Her eyes had gone wide and her thoughts were panicky. Nightcolt steadied himself, folding his wings quietly. "Skywings," he began, and all fourteen eyes turned to look at him. They were a mixture of surprise, adrenaline, and mild humor. He didn't let himself take a deep breath, but he was relieved. These dragons weren't in the mood to fight. He walked slowly forward and wrapped a wing around Lyra. "We'll go now." One of them roared in laughter, and as he walked away, he knew they were making fun of them. The weak Nightwings that backed away from a fight. His anger burned bright as they headed back to their mountain. "Colt," Lyra said, worried, "Your thoughts are flashing. They're red." "And?" "I've never seen you like this," she admitted. "Sure, everyone else I see are full of hatred and burning anger, but, but--''not you''." He landed at the entrance and looked back to the valley. "If they had touched you... I would have killed them." And not just because it's my job. Oh. That was worrying. Lyra left, and he stood in the sunshine for longer than he was used to. She was a princess, and he, a princess' guard. He was weak and stupid and not as strong as any of the other dragons around him. But he loved her. That was dangerous. If anyone knew... He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Mindreaders usually learned early on to clear their heads as they went along on their daily business. Hopefully no one had heard him. He readjusted his wings and went along to his cave, tail lashing. Proclamation "We have been invited to attend a meeting of tribes." Queen Starfire's voice, usually full of power and wisdom, was now somber and wary. Nightcolt sat in view of Lyra, surrounded by thousands of other Nightwings seated in the heart of the mountain. Starfire stood in the center, addressing them all. "Princes Stonefall, Shadow, and Darkfury, as well as Princesses Diamond and Lyra will be attending with me." Colt met Lyra's gaze. She had known, previous to this, and she was ready to go. "Along with these five, DesperateMoon, Nightcolt, Jeweltalon, Bravetail, and Prophecy will accompany us. We leave tomorrow." Her words said, the dragons began to disperse, speaking quietly to each other. Colt made his way to Lyra, who was speaking to her brothers. He stood patiently beside her until she turned. Her mind was full of worry and resignation. "You're coming, I see." He nodded. "Did you know?" "Yes." Stonefall had informed him the night before. "Are you worried, Lyra?" "You don't need to ask that. You already know, don't you?" She had never told him that she wanted her thoughts to be kept private, but he wondered if he had made a mistake. "Is everything okay?" She took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm fine. I'm going to- go pack. I have some rubies I want to wear. I'll see you tomorrow, Nightcolt." "Until then, Lyra." Meeting None of these dragons were used to flying such long distances to the sea. Stonefall wished they were. Maybe if he had picked the group coming, instead of the queen, they would have actually made progress. He wished it wasn't the sea. Being surrounded by tens of thousands of Seawings who all wore little shreds of skyfire was not very appealing. As well as that, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of little Lightbringer, back at the mountain with Divinity. So much power was a curse, not a gift. He often took her flying to remote places in the shadow of the trees, teaching her how to control her power. He had heard the legends. Divinity taught her how to guard her thoughts. Soon even he wouldn't be able to read her mind. She had only very recently started to speak meaningful sentences. He was counting down the weeks until she could leave the nursery and come be with them at all times. If worst came to worst, he could stop her from doing anything regrettable. Despite his brother's mistakes, Stonefall truly loved the little dragonet. He wanted to do what was best for her. But he also wanted what was best for the tribe. If the chance came to bring the Nightwings out of seclusion--would he do it? They had arrived. The salt in the air tickled his nose, and he coasted down to the island. Even with the Nightwings starting early, the Sandwings and Icewings had already arrived. Perfect. Two of his least favorite tribes. What was he thinking? All of them were his least favorite. Lyra nudged him. He had forgotten that she could tell his emotions. It will be okay, Stonefall. Together they had decided to speak mind to mind as often as possible. The less these rock-chewers heard, the better. Starfire extended her wings, effectively hiding her two daughters behind her. The princes were on either side, with the others in the back. Together they walked through the arch, making their way to their specified seating area. He should have brought more Nightwings with them. They were far outnumbered if something threatening happened. At least Divinity wasn't here. If Starfire died, she would be next to inherit the throne. These dragons could kill off many important Nightwings in one fell swoop. He sat even taller, twining his tail with Lyra's. None of the other tribes approached as more and more crowded the space. At last, the Seawings emerged from the water. Water streamed from their gleaming, healthy scales and several of them looked specifically at him. He hissed. They were all evil. Especially their queen. It had been her idea to supply all her subjects with skyfire. They grinned mockingly at the Nightwings as they took their places. Stonefall had already sorted through the otherdragons surrounding them, listening to hear which were dangerous and which weren't. He would have to just watch the Seawings. The meeting began, with each tribe discussing their problems in front of the others. How pathetic. As the Nightwings' turn came closer, he sat up straighter, as did the dragons around him. "There is nothing we wish to bring forward at this time," Queen Starfire said, her voice just barely masking her hate. "Nothing?" The Mudwing Queen Constant asked. Her siblings were gathered around her protectively. "Nothing has happened under the mountain?" "Nothing we wish to discuss," Starfire repeated with a voice of stone and fire. "Ah," Queen Ivory, a large, muscled Icewing, said, her voice dripping with malice. "You like hiding your lives from us, is that it?" Stonefall leaned forward slightly, working to hear her thoughts. She wanted to start a fight! If he knew it, so did his queen. Hopefully she wouldn't say anything more. Her eyes glinted, but to his relief, she remained silent. The meeting moved to other matters. The tribes wondered why the Seawings weren't sharing the skyfire with them. A limited supply was the answer this time. As the meeting dragged on, he had the distinct impression that their time was being wasted here. Stonefall tried not to groan. He was so sick and tired of this, and he wanted to claw each of these dragons' throats out. At last it was over. The tribes paraded out in much the same way they had arrived, and the Nightwings began the long journey home. Battle Nightcolt watched their surroundings warily. Something was wrong. The Icewings had only thought of the dullest matters the whole time, and that just wasn't right. All of the other dragons had gone over their plans and what they wanted to say, but not the Icewings. They were too cunning for safety, he decided. They were nearly to their mountain when disaster struck. A batallion of dragons, flying behind them. The white glint reflecting the sun was unmistakeable. The Nightwings would never be able to outfly them! As one, they strained their wings, flying higher. And then, together, they began to fight. Colt did his best to stay by Lyra. The Icewings were ruthless and merciless as dragons fell to their deaths below. He cut and slashed and bit and breathed fire, working to keep them at bay. A particularly nasty dragon tried to shred his wings, and he danced out of the way, watching the outstretched talons come towards him, reaching, reaching-- There was a dreadful choking sound. Blood coated the white scales and the dragon grinned at him evilly. He gripped Lyra in his talons, and, with a smirk, let go. She fell towards the ground. Colt wasted no time, tucking his wings in and diving. She flailed around, wind whistling around them, but no sound came from her. He flapped, hard, trying to reach her. "Lyra!" Her dark body hit the ground and he heard the sickening crunch of bones. He landed a second later. Too late. She whimpered. "Colt?" "Lyra. No, no no no no no. It's alright, it's, it's going to be okay. Listen to me, you'll be okay, it's alright." "It's not," she whispered. "You know that." "I love you, Lyra," he managed to get out over the whirlwind of his mind. "I know." He gripped her talons, willing her to stay with him. Please. '' She closed her eyes, and a moment later was gone. His love. Gone forever. All other thoughts quieted until just this one remained, repeating over and over. Along with the image of Icewing talons ripping through her perfect scales. Colt roared his fury and rejoined the ranks of his tribe. Quickly, almost gleefully, he sent every Icewing screaming to the ground. Each one of them had shredded wings. 7 Years Later Lightbringer tucked her wings around herself as her Stonefall threw rocks at her. Occasionally a pebble would strike her scales as her concentration slipped, but so far she was okay. As he threw them, her job was to make the rocks fly just past her, missing her by a scale's width. It didn't help that she had to do it all with her mind. She had been born... different. What was different, no one was exactly sure. All that they knew was that she had power flowing through her veins and ready to escape from her talons. It was a curse, they told her, and she must learn to control it, as well as never, ever letting any other dragon know. She knew where she came from, about Seafoam, the Seawing that had fallen in love with her father, Goldtalon. She knew how to conceal her thoughts so that other dragons thought she was thinking about boring things. In fact, she was so good at that that she did it all the time. In the distant corner of her mind, there was a loop of ordinary thoughts concealing what she was really thinking about from other mindreaders. A rock stung her, bouncing off her scales. She gasped and leaned down to look at it. Another hit her horns. "Stonefall!" She complained. "Do not lose your concentration. Come on, try to read my thoughts." "I can't. You're blocking me." "No, I'm not." She screwed up her eyes and strained to hear something. ''Don't close your eyes. She opened them. There he was, looking disapprovingly at her. "It's not my fault I'm lousy at this mindreading stuff!" "No, it's your parents'. And now you have to make up the difference. No dragon must know that you aren't ordinary. Every noble has some power, so you must too." He thought briefly of Lyra, a beautiful Nightwing Lightreader had never seen. "Who was Lyra, anyway?" She demanded. Stonefall hesitated. "Your aunt. She could only tell a dragon's feelings, not their thoughts." "Why can't I be like her?" "Because she died, Light. Do you want to die?" "No." He chucked a pebble at her and she brushed it away, the stone flying off into the trees. "Now make that seem like you aren't affecting it." She scowled and did as commanded. All her life, this had been the same. Training with Stonefall, training with Divinity. As long as she could remember, ever since Divinity had had a vision of her future and how horribly wrong it could go, this had been her fate. She knew the Seawings thought animus dragons were special and important. Well, she wasn't an animus, but sometimes she thought that the animus powers had been reshaped inside her. At least, she thought with satisfaction, they would never have another animus dragon, not with that line ending with Lightbringer. Sometimes she stayed up late, thinking about all the things she could do to them, with practice and creativity with her power. Take away their skyfire. Force all the other dragons of Pyrrhia to bow down to the Nightwings. The possibilities were limitless, it just required some thinking as to how to accomplish what she wanted. That was just what Divinity didn't want, and Lightbringer would never do it. But, she thought, if her grandmother ever asked her to, she wouldn't refuse. "Do you know anything about Nightcolt?" The royal quarters were usually empty, with only a few dragons in its' halls. It was even quieter now, she had heard someone say, because of the absence of several dragons, the one most thought of being Lyra. No one ever told her about Lyra. They tried to avoid thinking about her. Lightbringer wished she knew more about her aunt, dead years ago. Who she was, how she died... she knew none of it. Not paying attention, she bumped into a larger dragon. Lightbringer jumped back and ducked her head. "I'm so sorry!" Lightbringer. She looked up, surprised. Nearly all of the nobles and all of her family were masters at hiding their thoughts. This dragon didn't even try. She recognized him when grief and pain overwhelmed her senses, so much of it that she had to shut them out. "Nightcolt!" He nodded. This is the dragonet Lyra showed me. Still beautiful, and just as oddly colored. She seems normal, though, besides that. A little simple, based on her thoughts... ''and on, and on. Lightbringer decided she almost preferred dragons to shield from her. She didn't want to hear these judgements! Something struck her. "You knew Lyra?" ''Lyra. Sweet, beautiful, poor Lyra. "I did," he said warily. "What was she like?" He shook his head. "Wonderful. Goodbye, Lightbringer." He moved past her, and she turned to watch him go. Lightbringer knew little of Nightcolt, but she did know that he wasn't a noble. He haunted their wing, lost in his thoughts, and no one made him leave. He was, she thought, like a ghost of the past. Shaking her head, Lightbringer headed to her parents' cave, looking for her mother. She found her, carefully tending to the plants in the corner. "He threw rocks at me today," she said by way of greeting. Divinity whipped around. "Quiet!" she hissed. Lightbringer gulped. Sorry. ''Divinity couldn't read minds, but Lightbringer could, with concentration, share her thoughts with her mother. And anyone else she wanted to hear them, she supposed. ''If you had control of your powers, that wouldn't be a problem. Lightbringer didn't ask which problem she was talking about. It could be both. Instead, she came to stand near Divinity, fetching a pitcher of water from the ground and carefully dampening the leaves. "You're coming to the Council Meeting with me today." She bit her lip. Again? As my heir, you may someday take the throne. '' ''I would never challenge you, mother. She snorted. "You couldn't win, anyway." Lightbringer's grandmother had ruled for many, many years. She was a good ruler, and along with that, challenges were discouraged. Too many of them could hurt the Nightwing population. Besides, Divinity made sure all her sisters knew that the throne was hers. When she chose to take it, she would. At last Divinity stood and stretched. She glanced around the cave, at Lightbringer, and then turned to leave, flicking the dragonets' wing with her tail. "Have you eaten, Bringer?" Outside of the cave, she concealed her thoughts from everyone, including her daughter. She shook her head. "Not since yesterday." I couldn't catch any fish in the river last night when he took me out. "Ah. Where is Stonefall?" "I'm not sure." A dragon passed them, and Divinity nodded, opening her wings enough to hide Lightbringer, who was on her side, close to the wall. The dragon reminded Lightbringer of what she wanted to ask her mother. "Do you know anything about Nightcolt?" Her mother sighed. "Strange dragon. He was like that even before that Meeting of the Tribes. But after Lyra's death... something inside him broke." "How did my aunt die?" Divinity looked at Lightbringer. "I suppose there's no harm in telling you. Lyra was born during an eclipse, and because of that, her mindreading was faulty. She couldn't hear thoughts, instead being able to see emotions." "Whoa. Was it... Did it have anything to do with her blood?" Was she like me? "No." Divinity's voice was suddenly hard. "She was beautiful and happy and full of light. And then she went with them to the Meeting." She paused. "You do know which one we're speaking of?" She nodded. "When the Icewings attacked." "Yes. One of them shredded Lyra's wings. She dropped to the ground and died from the fall." "Were you there?" "No. But your father shared his memories with me. He said that after that, Nightcolt attacked every Icewing he could, and each one fell to their death. Nightcolt's Revenge, it started being called." "Then what?" "What do you mean?" "Well he's still here. What happened when he returned?" "For a while, he shut himself up in his caves or wandered around like a ghost. It was... unsettling, seeing him walking around with that blank, dead look in his eyes, but no one had the heart to tell him to leave. I think he takes comfort from the places Lyra used to be most often." "Oh." Divinity nodded, then stopped. "I don't think I need you to remind you to guard yourself, Bringer?" They had arrived. She shook her head, and they entered, sweeping in. Council Meeting The hollowed out heart of the mountain could fit most of the Nightwings for large-scale meetings, and with just the council it felt empty. Queen Starfire watched her daughter and granddaughter enter and take their places, Divinity on her right with Lightbringer at her side, as always. Stonefall had already arrived, his thoughts carefully hidden. Starfire studied Lightbringer for a moment as the other council members filed in, and Lightbringer tried not to squirm under her grandmother's all-seeing gaze. "You're not blocking me from hearing you, Lightbringer," the Queen gently reprimanded. She was, just not in the way Starfire expected. She bowed her head, throwing up purposely weak walls around her already hidden mind. "I'll try harder, your Majesty," Lightbringer said. She nodded, then stood to begin the meeting. And Lightbringer tried to pay attention, she really did. The thing was, Council Meetings could last for hours despite covering much of the same issues each time, and she had heard it all before. Anyway, she was only here on the off-chance that she one day ruled, and Lightbringer couldn't see that happening at any time in the near or distant future. Her thoughts wandered, occasionally to ruling or Nightcolt or Lyra or annoying pebbles. She wondered why Nightcolt didn't bother to shield his mind and if anyone had ever bothered to teach him how. "...Goldtalon's death was a shock to the whole tribe..." Lightbringer looked up, all thoughts of Nightcolt evaporating. "...Sent a message we don't want to send." One of the Queen's brothers was speaking. Lightbringer didn't bother to remember his name. "What happens if the other tribes sense our weakness and come into our borders?" Princess Diamond snorted. "What borders? And besides, everyone knows we wouldn't survive an attack. The only reason they don't is because we have nothing of worth for them to take." Across from Lightbringer, Stonefall's eyes narrowed, but he couldn't argue. It was all true. "And what if other Nightwings take the path he took?" Shadow. The name of the Prince was thrust into her mind, and Lightbringer started to panic; someone, somehow, had breached her defenses without her knowledge! A moment later, however, she realized that it was just Stonefall, and he had done so as a reminder that she wasn't being as careful as perhaps she should have been. Fitting name, she thought back at him. Get your defenses back up, ''he said, and returned to his own dark mind. "They wouldn't do that," the queen said. "Goldtalon wasn't as strong as he should have been. Besides, by not burying him in the mountain, we warned the tribe what the penalty for ''that was." ''What? ''Goldtalon hadn't been buried in the mountain? Lightbringer had the thought that her shock was public to anyone who wanted to listen, but she didn't care. How could that be? The burial chambers were sacred places, designed so moonlight shone upon the graves, letting the spirits of the dead go back home to the stars. "Lightbringer, are you feeling well?" Divinity was touching her, talking to her. Her eyes glanced at the door, and Lightbringer got the message. "No, I'm so sorry, must have been something I ate." Standing, she hurried from the chamber and through the passages, her head spinning. She needed to get out of here. How could they do such a thing to a prince? To her father? She realized she was outside the mountain only when a gust of wind almost knocked her off the cliffside. Clouds obscured the moon and stars, leaving the night even darker than usual. Lightbringer surveyed the landscape. These mountains and trees were all she had ever known. The thought was sobering. Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Content (Sidewalkflowers)